


Practical Devil

by petrichorishly



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Case Fic, Curses, F/M, Post-Season/Series 05A, Story time with the Devil, Witchcraft, very subtle Deckerstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27302206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petrichorishly/pseuds/petrichorishly
Summary: The Devil gets roped into another story time. This time it's Halloween themed.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 14
Kudos: 162
Collections: TDN's Incredible Exchange 2020





	Practical Devil

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for eastwesthomeisbest on tumblr for the TDN Incredible Exchange.  
> My prompts were _Burn_ by Beth Crowley, _divine_ and _Practical Magic (1998)_.  
> This is just a short, little case fic that takes place somewhere between 5x06 and 5x07, narrated by Lucifer post 5x08.

The tension in the room seemed to grow with every breath he took. It was almost unbearable. He wanted to speak up, wanted to say something, _anything_ , to end this bloody silence.

But Lucifer bit his tongue and continued to watch Daniel just as the other man watched him.

In the end, it was Daniel who got over himself and spoke up. “Are you working Chloe’s new case?”

“Really, Daniel, that is what you want to know?” Lucifer crossed his legs and sank back into the cushions of the couch in Chloe’s apartment. “Smalltalk should be a damnable sin.”

Dan swallowed visibly. “Man, I’m trying to be civil here.”

“Civil? What for? You hate me, you shot me. I think civil is off the table. I’m not here for you, I’m here because your offspring requested my presence. Although, for what I cannot fathom.”

“She wants to show off her Halloween costume.”

Lucifer hummed, unimpressed. “And she couldn’t have done this at any other point? Like, perhaps, at a point where you’re _not_ the one watching her?”

Dan looked down at his hands, wringing them nervously. “I told her she’s welcome to invite you.”

Lucifer frowned. Dan had avoided him all week, had even gone so far as to take time off work, so that he wouldn’t run into him. The Detective had told him as much. But Lucifer hadn’t really cared.

Truth be told, he had bigger problems to worry about than Daniel’s betrayal. Namely, Dear Old Dad’s arrival but he really didn’t want to think about that particular topic anymore, so he’d jumped at the chance to get away from Lux when Beatrice had called him.

“Is this your attempt at burying the hatchet?” he asked, leaning forward and trying to catch Dan’s eye.

The other man proceeded to stare at his hands. “I guess.”

“But I didn’t even get my revenge,” Lucifer threw his arms up in frustration.

“Wait a second, revenge?”

“Yes, of course! I even had a board for ideas, but then I got distracted. With the Detective’s kidnapping and my Dad and all.”

Dan’s face grew paler and paler every time Lucifer opened his mouth. “Your Father?”

“Oh, goodness me, you’re not quite up to date, are you? Short version, Daniel, my Father has decided to show his face and he’s put Michael in his place for now. But I don’t trust his charade. He’s up to something.”

“ _God?_ ”

Lucifer scowled. “Let’s change the subject, shall we? To answer your initial question, yes, I am working the Detective’s case, but we have not yet found any promising leads.”

“Um, yeah, Chloe mentioned that,” Dan nodded and opened his mouth for a follow-up question, but he didn’t get the chance.

“Ta-da!” The spawn jumped out from her room, arms wide, giving them her best jazz-hands. “What do you think?”

She twirled before them, showing off her costume. She was wearing a pointed hat, the brim wide and decorated with fake cobwebs and a plastic spider. Her dress was all black and flowed down all the way to her ankles. Only the cape added a splash of color, the inside of it being a deep blood-red. It flared out as she twirled once more.

“You look incredible, Trix,” Dan said and gave her a thumbs-up and a wide smile. “I’m thinking the turn-out will outdo last year.”

“You think so?” she asked excitedly. “I even have a wand, look!”

She waved a small wooden stick into Lucifer’s face and he leaned out of her reach. “You’ll poke someone’s eye out with that.”

She rolled her eyes but put the stick back into the belt of her dress. “You didn’t say anything about how you like it, Lucifer.”

“It’s certainly a step up from the President of Mars improvisation. Maze showed me pictures and while I have to applaud your ingenuity, I do believe this outfit is better fit for Halloween. A little scarier, I suppose.”

The spawn’s grin grew. “Yeah, I thought so, too. Witches are cool!”

“Let’s hope no one burns you at the stake. Your mother would be cross.” He got up from the couch, brushing down his suit to smooth out any creases, and turned to leave. “If that’s all, spawn, I’ve got a twin to annoy. You know how it is.”

“No, Lucifer, wait!” The spawn made a lightning-quick grab for his arm and held on like a vice. “Stay a little longer? Please?”

“Whatever for? I’m sure you and some other vertically-challenged offspring are headed out to terrorize the neighborhood soon and I’m definitely not staying for that.”

“Halloween’s tomorrow, Lucifer,” Trixie argued.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Can’t you stay until Mom gets back?”

Lucifer glanced at Daniel. “I don’t think your father would appreciate that very much.”

“Dad doesn’t mind,” Trixie said quickly before Dan could even open his mouth. “Could we do story time again? Last time was fun.”

Lucifer frowned. Did the spawn really wish for his presence this much?

“Pretty please?”

Apparently so.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It would take another hour for the Detective to be home and the spawn’s puppy dog eyes were unyielding.

Perhaps Michael could wait.

“Very well, story time it is. What would you like to hear?” Gracefully, he sank back down on the couch and crossed one leg over the other.

Dan held up a hand before Trixie could answer the question. “I get to veto anything too graphic.”

“I’m not seven anymore, Dad. You don’t get to veto.”

“Lucifer can’t do PG-13 on his best days, so yeah, I _do_ get to veto.”

“Fine.” Lucifer didn’t miss Trixie’s exaggerated eyeroll. “Let’s see … a story about the demons you ruled over?”

Dan choked on air. “Absolutely not!”

“I hate to agree with Daniel, but even I think Hell is not an appropriate topic.”

“But Maze tells me stuff all the time.”

“Well, I’m not Mazikeen,” Lucifer said harshly. He still hadn’t quite forgiven the demon for siding with Michael, but knowing them they’d both get over it pretty quickly. Until then, however, he’d continue to sulk about it. Especially because this time her betrayal had stung quite a bit.

“About a case, then?” Trixie asked. “Like last time. Maybe a case you and Mom worked together?”

Lucifer weighed his options. “That I could do, I suppose. Did your mother tell you about the Whisper Killer?”

Dan let out another choked-off noise. “That’s another no from me. Lucifer, come on, she’s only twelve.”

“Very well,” Lucifer conceded. “Elena Warren, then? The woman who apparently wanted to get rid of literally every man in her life?”

Dan frowned. “Was that the case with all those strange accidents that weren’t accidents? Quite recently?”

“Precisely. You’ll like this one, Daniel, there are even some plot points you’re not privy to, yet.”

“Okay, fine,” Dan agreed. “But if it gets too—”

“Yes, yes, you’ll stop me.” Lucifer waved him off. “Now,” he grinned and rubbed his hands. “Where to begin?”

* * *

“Good morning, Detective!”

“Morning, Lucifer.”

“This is a first, isn’t it?”

The crime scene he’d just arrived at was located a couple hundred feet into a metro tunnel. Flood lights had been put up to light the scene, the Detective crouching in the middle of it next to the body. She stood up as Lucifer approached and gave him a warm smile.

Things between them felt different. A good different but definitely different. But then again, Lucifer knew they would be. After all, he now knew what it was like to wake up next to her.

The thought sent a warm feeling through his entire body that he couldn’t describe.

“So,” he began, trying to focus on the case at hand, “what happened to this poor chap?”

“Well, Ella says it looks like an accident.”

“An accident?”

“Yeah, the guy worked as an electrician for the LA Metro Rail. He was down here doing maintenance. And it looks like he simply got electrocuted.”

Lucifer frowned. “Then why are we here? If it wasn’t a homicide.”

“Because, Lucifer,” Chloe said, “this is the third body found on the tracks or in the tunnels in the past two weeks. And they all look like accidents.”

“Ah, two is a coincidence, but three is a pattern?”

“Exactly.”

He rubbed his hands. “What’s the plan, then? Who do we have to interrogate?”

“Well, more like interview, not interrogate. Elena Warren. She is his supervisor and she worked with one of the last victims as well.”

“Sounds promising. Lead the way, Detective.”

* * *

“So, we drove to Elena Warren’s place. She wasn’t at work because she was on medical leave. Something about trauma and stress. Her cousin had died just a few days prior and now two of her co-workers, so she was granted a few days of vacation.”

“You spoiled it,” Trixie suddenly complained. “You already told us this Elena is the murderer, so why tell the story?”

“Because, spawn, things got rather interesting. Even though you know she’s the killer, you don’t know _how_ she did it, do you?”

“No?”

“So, pay attention,” Lucifer said. “Anyhow, like I said, we drove to her place and interrogated her.”

* * *

“Ms. Warren, do you know of anyone who might have wished harm to either of your co-workers? Maybe someone you worked with as well? Even someone you worked with in the past who might hold a grudge against the company?” Chloe asked as Lucifer strolled around the living room, inspecting the items on the shelves.

“No, I don’t think anyone comes to mind. The only one who got angry about being fired was Andy, but Andy died like four weeks ago. They say it was a heart attack.”

“Andy,” the Detective nodded as she noted his name. “Last name?”

“Sander. He worked with us for almost three years.”

“Okay, anything else you can think of?”

Lucifer interrupted Elena before she could even get another word out. “This your husband?” He held up a picture frame.

“N-no. That’s my … that _was_ my boyfriend.”

“Was?”

“He died.”

“Almost seems like death has taken a special interest in you,” Lucifer commented as he put down the picture. “Like a moth to a flame.”

Elena scowled at him. “Why do you think I’m on leave? It’s been a few very stressful weeks.”

“Hm,” Lucifer hummed. Something seemed off about the woman, but he couldn’t place it. Maybe she was just an awful liar and he was picking up on it. Or maybe it was something else entirely. It buzzed around in his mind and he felt like the answer was right there staring him in the face.

He shrugged. It would come to him eventually.

“I can recommend a few herbs to help you get over it,” he offered. “You do seem awfully interested in them.” He pointed out the books on herbology on the shelves as well as the incense and the little plants on the windowsill.

“Lucifer!” Chloe reprimanded him, vigorously shaking her head. “Not appropriate.”

“Oh, come on, Detective, a little weed never hurt anyone, and it would certainly help her relax.”

“Your name is _Lucifer_?” Elena jumped in.

“Yes. Got a problem with it?”

“No,” she said. “Just wondering what kind of crazies the police are sending over these days.”

“Okay,” the Detective spoke up before Lucifer could snark back and stood from the couch. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Warren. We’ll get back to you in case we have further questions.”

She took Lucifer by the arm and dragged him outside.

“Detective, please, this woman is screaming _guilty_.”

“No, she’s not. You just don’t like her.”

Lucifer huffed. “I don’t. But that’s not all. Something’s off about her.”

“Like what?”

“I can’t tell,” Lucifer sighed.

The Detective bit her lip as she got into her cruiser, then sat behind the steering wheel for a few moments, looking back at Elena Warren’s house. “You know, I don’t think all these people dying around her is pure coincidence, either. But she has alibis for two of these deaths.”

“Maybe she hired someone,” Lucifer offered.

“Maybe, but let’s look into the other deaths first. Her cousin, her boyfriend and this Andy Sander.”

* * *

“And? Did she kill them, too?” the spawn asked, captivated.

“It turns out she did,” Lucifer confirmed.

Dan shook his head. “No, no, no. There was never any note of that in her file. I read through it. She couldn’t have had anything to do with her boyfriend’s death. She was abroad.”

“You don’t know the full story, Douche. That’s why I’m telling it. Now, where was I?” He shifted on the couch, recrossing his legs, before continuing. “Right, so the Detective went off to do the boring bit, the paperwork and the research. I went back to Lux to take care of my business. I only finished very late at night, so the Detective had already gone home. She’d texted me that she’d found three more deaths that happened in Elena’s social circle recently. All of them ruled natural causes or accidents. And Elena had alibis for everything. But it was late, so we figured we’d go over it the following day. And then I proved that the best ideas always come to you in the shower.”

“Lucifer,” Dan groaned. “Not in front of Trix.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Daniel. All I meant is that I figured it out right as I was showering the next morning. So, I hurried to the Detective’s place to tell her the good news.”

* * *

“Detective,” he called out as he let himself into her apartment. “Detective, I figured it out! I know what I missed!”

“Lucifer, for G—for _somebody’s_ sake! It’s barely six in the morning.” She was sitting at the breakfast bar, a cup of coffee next to her. The harsh artificial light from her laptop screen in front of her cast deep shadows across her face.

“And yet you’re working,” Lucifer admonished her. “Did you even sleep last night?”

“I did not, okay? This,” she gestured at her laptop, “won’t let me. I keep thinking we must have missed something. Her alibis seem waterproof but she’s the only connection.”

“Never fear, Lucifer is here!”

“Don’t tell me you actually solved it?”

“I believe I have.”

“And did _you_ sleep?”

“No, but that’s beside the point.” He waved her off.

“And the point is?” Chloe prompted.

“Elena Warren is—drumroll, please—a Practitioner!” He spread his arms wide, awaiting her praise.

It didn’t come.

“Huh?”

“Detective, please, I’m giving you the answer here.”

“I don’t get it. She’s what?”

“A Practitioner.”

Her frown only got deeper.

Lucifer rolled his eyes impatiently. “Of magic. She’s a witch, Detective!”

“Magic? Are you serious?”

“Yes! I don’t know how I didn’t realize it when we first spoke to her. Well, I did feel something was off about her and I haven’t met a practicing witch in centuries. I couldn’t quite place the feel of her magic—”

“Stop, stop, stop.” The Detective rounded the breakfast bar, one finger held up to silence him. “Magic is real?”

“Of course, it is. What is divinity if not magic? In a way they’re interchangeable. Though I admit, magic has so many awful connotations, I’d rather distance myself from that particular word.”

“Okay,” Chloe nodded, though still visibly confused. “And you’re saying Elena Warren is a witch? She’s using magic to kill these people?”

“I’m almost sure of it. These so-called accidents practically scream witchcraft. I mean, look at how her boyfriend died. Even Miss Lopez said the odds of him breaking his neck while fixing the car were very slim to none. But magic defies probability. Perhaps she lay a curse on him and—"

“Can you do magic?”

Lucifer frowned. “Detective, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“No, not right now. I’m still trying to fit ‘magic is real’ into my worldview. It’s slightly easier than ‘the Devil is real’, but still, you have to give me a minute.” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few moments, then met his gaze again. “So, can you do magic?”

“Anyone can. It’s a matter of willpower and knowing what you’re doing.”

“But can _you_?”

Lucifer squirmed a little. “I admit I never much cared to learn. If you’re expecting any jaw-dropping displays of power, I have to disappoint you. But in theory, yes.”

“So, you can cast spells and whatnot?”

His offered her a fond smile. “Magic isn’t just spells and potions. That’s the stuff of movies.”

“Then what is it?” Chloe asked, mirroring his smile.

“It’s casting your will upon the world,” Lucifer said in a silky-smooth voice and took a step closer. “It’s making it bend to your every whim.” Slowly, he let his fingers run up Chloe’s arm. “And feeling it tremble underneath your fingertips.” Leaning in, he whispered next to her ear. “Unfortunately … I’m rubbish at it.”

She laughed and pushed against his chest until he took a step back. “I’m honestly disappointed, Lucifer. I was expecting at least one spell.”

“I can’t excel at everything, now can I. I have to leave something for Amenadiel to be good at.”

“So, he’s the one I have to go to for jaw-dropping displays of power, gotcha.”

Lucifer shrugged. “I honestly don’t know how adept he is at magic, but you could ask.”

She shook her head. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand: Elena Warren. If she’s really killing these people with magic, how do we prove it? I can’t exactly stand before a judge and tell them Warren cursed her victims.”

“I see how that could be a problem.”

“What if it’s, like, a Practical Magic thing?” Chloe asked.

“A what?”

“You know, like in the movie. What if she’s not cursing people but _she_ is cursed, and every guy she falls for dies a horrible death?”

Lucifer blinked at her. “Seven deaths in six weeks and you think she fell for each one? One of those was her cousin, Detective.”

“True, I guess,” she murmured. “So, that’s off the table. Would have been nice, though, because at least then it wouldn’t have been her fault. We should talk to her again. Get some kind of proof before we worry about how to explain all that to a judge.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Lucifer grinned. “Are you ready to leave?”

* * *

“You’re not serious, are you?” Dan asked. “Magic? Is real?”

“Yes, Daniel. Have you not been listening to what I’ve been saying?”

“Yeah, but … _magic?_ Really?”

Lucifer raised a challenging brow. “You know that I exist and that my Father is in LA, but you don’t want to believe magic is real?”

“It seems improbable.”

“Who cares?” Trixie interrupted. “Magic _exists_! That is so cool! Keep going, Lucifer, keep going! I want to hear more.”

“Very well, child. So, we returned to Elena Warren’s home and questioned her again. However, when I confronted her about her being a Practitioner, she lost her cool.”

* * *

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elena immediately denied, and Lucifer could basically see all her walls go up instantly. “And I’d appreciate it, if you left me alone now.”

Lucifer stalked towards the woman, Chloe staying behind him. “Oh, but I know all about what you’ve been doing, little witch. Laying curses? Now that’s just bad form.”

“What did all those men do to you?” Chloe spoke up. “What did they do that warranted such retaliation?”

Elena’s face scrunched up in fury. “They were trash! All of them! They treated me like shit!”

“That sounds like a confession to me, Detective.”

“Yeah, it does,” Chloe agreed. “Elena Warren, you are under arrest—”

“For what? Huh? I have alibis and all of them died in _horrible_ accidents. Little old me couldn’t have had anything to do with it.”

“Oh, we’ll find proof,” Lucifer assured her. “The Detective always does. She’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, well, have her figure this out.”

Before Lucifer could say another word, Elena threw her arms up with a shout and he felt her power rush through the room. Smoke filled the air rapidly and he heard the Detective start to cough behind him.

“Detective? Chloe?!”

“Lucifer?”

“Chloe.” He found her in the dense smoke and took hold of both her arms. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just inhaled a whole lot of whatever that was.”

He waved his hands, trying to dispel the smoke a little to see her better. “It’s literally just smoke. It’s just meant to distract.”

Chloe’s head shot up. “A distraction. She’s getting away?”

Lucifer turned around, trying to spot Elena but the witch had already bailed. “Dad-damn witches,” he growled.

The sound of a car starting outside had them both whirl towards the front door.

“We can still catch her. Come on!” Chloe hurried out the door and they both saw Elena’s car disappear around the corner of the street. Chloe swore under her breath and hastily pulled out her phone. “Ella, I need a location on Elena Warren’s car. She just bailed on us, heading south. We’ll try and pursue her, but I need eyes on the traffic cams, so we’ll know where we’re going.”

Five minutes later they were on the highway, siren blaring as they followed Ella’s directions over the phone.

“She’s heading towards where we found the last body,” Lucifer realized as Chloe took another turn. “What’s she going to do? Lose us in the metro tunnels?”

“She’ll be faster than us on foot there. She knows the tunnels, we don’t. And neither does Ella. She will be of no help.”

A malicious smile formed on Lucifer’s lips. “Oh, I am very good at navigating mazes, Detective. Even in the dark. She won’t get away, I’ll make sure of it.”

The Detective parked the cruiser right next to Elena’s abandoned car on the edge of the railroad tracks and they hurried into the tunnels on foot. It only took five minutes for them to reach a fork in the tunnel.

“Let’s split up. You go right. Yell if you find her.”

“Detective, be careful. Not only are we chasing a witch, but the trains are running again down here.”

“I’ll be fine. Now go! Hurry!”

Reluctantly, Lucifer left Chloe to investigate the tunnel to the right. He could hear her steps echo through the tunnel for a good few hundred meters, then silence surrounded him.

Maze would like this place, he thought.

The light from the entrance didn’t reach this far and Lucifer navigated the dark tunnel by keeping one hand on the wall before getting his phone out and using its flashlight to light the way. The deeper he advanced into the tunnel the more uneasy he got. Not because it was creepy—he’d seen worse places, thank you very much—but rather because if _he_ didn’t run into Elena, the Detective surely would. And he wasn’t with her to try and keep her safe.

“Blast it!” He turned and hurried back the way he’d come.

He’d barely made it to the spot where they’d split up, when he heard a muffled scream echo through the tunnel. The sound made his blood run cold.

It could only mean one thing: The Detective had found her.

Or rather, Elena Warren had found Chloe.

“ _Detective!_ ”

His scream echoed through the dark tunnel, but never got an answer.

* * *

“I don’t think I want to hear the end of this story,” Trixie whispered.

Lucifer looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and she was hugging the pillow in her lap like it could shield her from all the evil in the world. “Spawn, obviously your mother and I both survived this unfortunate ordeal. I promise, this story doesn’t end badly for us.”

“When the bad man kidnapped me, there was a happy ending, too. Doesn’t mean that it didn’t suck.”

“So, you don’t want to hear how your mother took down a witch all by herself?”

“She did?” Dan and Trixie spoke in unison, making Trixie giggle a little.

“Of course, she did. You both really shouldn’t underestimate the Detective like this.”

Trixie glanced up at her father. “Okay. Let’s hear the end?”

Dan nodded. “Sure, Monkey. Let’s hear it.”

“Lovely. Settle in for the epic conclusion.”

* * *

Lucifer rounded the corner of the tunnel and immediately spotted the emergency exit door to the side. It was slightly ajar, light spilling through the crack. He pulled it open with more force than necessary and froze in his tracks.

The Detective was kneeling on the ground, gagged and bound. She frantically shook her head at him, her wide eyes warning him to stay back, but Lucifer never heeded such advice, even when he really should.

With a soft “Chloe” on his lips he hurried towards her. He’d barely taken two steps when he was stopped by an invisible barrier.

“Wow.” Elena Warren stepped out from behind a concrete pillar. “I knew trapping you wouldn’t be hard, but I really didn’t expect it to be _so_ easy. Are you really that dumb? Or do those heart eyes impair your vision?”

Lucifer growled at her. Now that he was paying attention, of course he could see the circles that trapped him and Chloe respectively. The dark smudges of coal on the ground formed perfectly round prisons, impossible to escape from.

“Genius, isn’t it?” Elena preened. “I prepared these spell circles after you visited me the first time, just as a precaution, and you both just walked straight into them.”

“Let her go,” Lucifer demanded. “Let the Detective go, she hasn’t done you any wrong.”

“Hasn’t done me wrong? She’s pursuing me for murder.” Elena turned away from Chloe to face Lucifer. “You both leave me no choice but to get rid of you.”

“And how do you think you’ll achieve that?”

“I trapped you already, didn’t I? I can just as easily curse you,” Elena boasted.

Behind her, Chloe almost managed to free one hand from the rope around her wrists. When her eyes met Lucifer’s, she jerked her head to her boot repeatedly, and continued to wiggle her hands out of the bindings.

Lucifer immediately understood: The Detective still had her Derringer in her boot and was trying to get to it. He just had to keep Elena distracted.

“Very well, you’ve trapped us. Bravo.” Lucifer slow-clapped. “But even if you curse us, you won’t get away with it because the Detective has already called for back-up.”

“Oh, please. Even if I end up in court, no one can prove anything,” Elena said smugly. “Do you really think any judge will convict me for sorcery?” She laughed and stepped closer to Lucifer’s little prison.

“Lose the glee, lady. Even if you escape mortal justice, you won’t escape mine.”

“Ugh, you really do believe you’re the Devil,” Elena said with a roll of her eyes. “I researched you, but I didn’t think you’d really be that literal.”

“Keep laughing. We will get out eventually. Your magic won’t hold us here forever. In fact,” he said and glanced past Elena at Chloe, hoping she’d get the hint, “your magic is so weak even a strong enough blow could break your spell circle. And there’s nothing nastier than the backlash of a broken spell.”

For a moment, he feared Chloe hadn’t understood, but then she gave a small nod and motioned with her free hand for Lucifer to keep her talking.

“I know a thing or two about magic. I could even teach you,” he continued, hoping to bait Elena. “How about it?”

“You think you can teach me about magic? If you really know that much, you’d be able to break out of my circle.”

“Maybe I can. Perhaps I just choose not to.”

“Yeah, right. Let’s see it, then.” She spread her arms wide in invitation. “Break out and then we’ll talk about what you think you can teach me.”

In just that moment a gunshot rang out.

Chloe had gotten to her feet, the gag hanging around her neck and her gun in both hands, aimed at the ground. As the bullet hit the charcoal circle on the cement, Elena shrieked and was catapulted backwards and into the wall. The air around Chloe sparked as the spell circle fizzled out.

Breathing hard, Chloe’s eyes found Lucifer’s.

“Did that do it?” she asked, breathless.

“I’d even say that overdid it. Well done, Detective. You hit her with her own spell power.”

Chloe lowered the gun and carefully stepped over the broken circle. She kept one eye on Elena, who lay motionless at the wall. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes. She’ll be fine. It stings like hell to be hit with a backlash of power like that but it’s not fatal with a small spell like that. She will recover.”

“Okay. So, how do I get you out of there? Do I shoot at the circle as well?”

Lucifer held up both hands to stop her. “No, no. I’ll be fine on my own.” Carefully he pressed against the invisible barrier surrounding him. It sparked just like Chloe’s circle had. “With Elena unconscious the spell is fractured. I should be able to break easily.” He pressed harder. With a sound like an exploding lightbulb and accompanied by a few sparks, the spell circle broke.

Chloe’s relief was almost palpable as she let herself be embraced by Lucifer. “Man, things never get boring with you around,” she mumbled into his chest.

“This was hardly my fault, Detective. You are quite capable of stumbling onto weird cases all on your own.”

A groan from Elena had them both look up. The witch’s eyes were still closed, her forehead creased in a frown. She mumbled but it was all intelligible.

Lucifer glared at the woman. “What are we going to do with her now?”

“We’ll bring her in for now. Even if we can’t prove anything, yet, she did capture us, took my firearm and threatened us. That’s enough to hold her for a bit.” Chloe rubbed her abraded wrists. “Though we might have to call her an ambulance. She doesn’t look too hot right now.”

Elena was still mumbling, her fingers twitching on the dirty ground.

Something about the picture she painted made all of Lucifer’s alarm bells go off.

Then it hit him. “No,” he breathed. “No!” He shoved the Detective behind himself and shielded her with his body.

“Lucifer? What’s going on?”

“It’s spellwork. She’s laying a curse.”

He could feel the crackle of power in the air as Elena’s magic built up. The witch’s eyes were now open, and she grinned maniacally as she continued chanting even as she still lay on the ground.

Then the magic began to take hold. Lucifer could feel it. And it wasn’t latching on to Chloe. No, the witch was cursing _him._

“Stop! Elena, stop!”

“Lucifer?” Chloe’s panic was growing.

“She’s trying to curse _me_ ,” Lucifer said, frantically.

Chloe took a hasty breath, then stepped from Lucifer’s cover and determinedly aimed her gun at the witch. “Elena, stop right now. Stop, or I’ll shoot.”

“No, Detective, wait,” Lucifer stepped between them once more. “Elena, listen to me. This will kill you. You cannot curse me.”

Elena continued, not the least bit swayed by Lucifer’s words.

“Elena, I’m the Devil! I am an archangel. I am made of divinity. Cursing me—that’s like trying to set a fire on fire. It’s pointless. The amount of power you’ll expend will kill you, do you understand? It will kill you! Stop!”

“He’s telling the truth, Elena. Listen to him,” Chloe spoke up.

Elena kept chanting, hellbent on finishing her spell. Lucifer saw only one way to convince her. “Look at me, Elena.” When she did, he let his eyes glow red, the fire inside of him rising to the surface. He saw Chloe take a tiny step backwards as she saw the red of his irises, but he ignored it, focusing only on the witch. “I’m telling the truth. I _am_ the Devil.”

Elena’s eyes widened; shock painted across her face. Her chanting stopped. But it was too late.

Lucifer felt the curse try and take hold. Then it began to drain Elena’s power.

They watched as she suddenly choked up. Her eyes bugged out of her head, panic overtaking her. Then she began to seize, her body shaking uncontrollably as her veins stood out dark against pale skin.

“Lucifer? What can we do? Do we call an ambulance?” Chloe pressed.

Lucifer just shook his head, his once again brown eyes fixed on Elena as she fought to take a breath. “There’s no point. Her soul is already hanging by a thread.”

The Detective turned away. Lucifer didn’t blame her for not wanting to watch the woman die such a gruesome death.

“I killed her,” he whispered as Elena Warren’s eyes closed for good.

He felt Chloe’s hand on his arm, squeezing gently. “You didn’t, Lucifer. She did that.”

“I might as well have. It was trying to curse me that killed her. Had it been anyone else, she’d still be alive.”

“You can’t forget that she killed seven people. That we know of. She wasn’t exactly good.”

Lucifer hummed. “She’s paying for that now.”

“In … Hell?”

He met her eyes. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Chloe nodded. “Come on, back-up will be here any minute.”

“And what, pray tell, are we going to tell them?”

* * *

“And that’s how in the end Elena Warren’s case was labeled a guilty conscience that ended with a suicide by poison down in the tunnels where she killed two of her seven victims,” Lucifer concluded.

He was met with absolute silence.

Confused, he tilted his head at his audience. Dan was staring at him open-mouthed, his face unusually pale. Trixie’s eyes were wide but full of wonder.

“Wow,” she brought forth. “That was so cool!”

“Ngk,” Dan added and paled another shade.

“Take a deep breath, Daniel. Doctor Linda says breathing through it helps.”

“Breathing through what? An existential crisis?” Daniel asked hysterically, but before Lucifer could answer, the door to the apartment opened and the Detective walked in.

She dropped her bag right by the door, then looked up and frowned. “Lucifer, hey. What … what are you doing here?” Her gaze fell on Daniel who was still a bit pale. “Is everything okay?”

Trixie jumped up from the couch to go and hug her mother. “I invited Lucifer to show him my costume. And then he agreed to have story time. He told us about one of your cases.”

Chloe absentmindedly carded her fingers through her daughter’s hair as she fixed Lucifer with a surprised look. “Did he? And Dad was okay with all this?” She addressed Dan with the last question.

Dan just nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine,” he brought out.

“I may have traumatized him a bit,” Lucifer admitted.

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing all that graphic.”

“Lucifer!”

He ducked his head. “… I may have told them about Elena Warren.”

“She was a real witch, Mom!” The spawn added helpfully. “Magic is real!”

“I know, babe. I met her. Unfortunately.”

“Not appropriate for story time?” Lucifer asked carefully.

Chloe dropped her bag and ushered her daughter back towards the couch. “You know, oddly enough, I’m not worried about you scarring Trixie with those stories. Dan on the other hand—” She poked Daniel in the side who flinched away and glared at her. “Doesn’t seem to be handling it all that well.”

“Very funny,” Dan huffed. “He just told me that magic and witches exist and on top of that he just casually mentioned that _God is in LA!_ ”

Chloe rolled her eyes on an exasperated sigh. “And He’s not exactly the most polite dinner guest.”

“I expected it to go worse,” Lucifer shrugged.

Chloe’s brows rose. “ _Worse?”_

“It didn’t come to blows, now did it. In a way it was almost civil.”

“I didn’t like Him,” Trixie added defiantly.

“And that makes me like you more, urchin.”

“Will you show me what you showed the witch?”

Dan immediately jumped in. “Absolutely not!”

Lucifer, much the same, shook his head vigorously. “No, child. That’s not for you to see.” He did not want to be responsible for traumatizing the tiny human, thank you very much. The good doctor had explicitly told him that children were more fragile than adults in a lot of ways, so surely his Devil face or even just a flash of red eyes would scar the child for life.

Trixie pouted and looked up at her mother. “Mom?”

“I don’t think it’s such a good idea, either, Trix. It’s really not … well, not for kids, okay?”

“But it’s Halloween.”

Lucifer bit his tongue. He didn’t want to scare the child, but he didn’t want to see her upset, either. “Tell you what, I’ll show you something else.”

“Lucifer,” Chloe began, a warning clear in her tone.

“No, no, Detective. Trust me. It will be fine,” he placated her. Beckoning for the child to come closer, he asked Daniel, “Do you have a quarter?”

“What?” Dan asked, befuddled.

“A quarter, Daniel. Or any coin, really.”

Dan searched the pockets of his jeans and eventually produced a dime from his back pocket. He handed it to Lucifer who placed it on his open palm.

“Now pay attention, spawn. I won’t be showing you party tricks whenever you want. This is a one-time thing.”

He waited for her excited nod, then forced his will on the coin. Slowly, it rose into the air and hovered two or three inches above his palm. Trixie’s gasp was the loudest, but Lucifer’s eyes found Chloe first, her gaze fixed on the coin, mesmerized.

He flicked his thumb, making the coin spin in mid-air, all the while watching Chloe. As mile was playing around her lips and she met his gaze. “I thought you were ‘rubbish at magic’.”

“Oh, I am. This is nothing. Anyone could do _this._ ”

Dan just stared at him, his mouth wide open, but Trixie’s eyes began to shine with excitement.

“Teach me how to do this,” she pleaded. “Please! I’m going to get _so_ much candy!”


End file.
